Riordan Debuts Radio Call-In Show

Mayor Richard Riordan fielded a few testy calls Wednesday and a lot of friendly ones. He demonstrated his command of details in some of the city’s most complicated debates, including charter reform and airport expansion.

He bumbled into one awkward, unintended reference to President Clinton’s travails, took sharp aim at a member of the City Council, and at one point, broke briefly into song.

All in all, Riordan’s first monthly appearance on his new radio program, “Ask the Mayor,” went smoothly, though he wryly remarked later that his co-host, KFWB morning anchor Kathleen Sullivan, advised him: “Stick to your daytime job.”

Riordan used his new platform, in part, to sound out the public but also to advance his agenda on topics as far-ranging as an upcoming police and fire bond measure, the debate over reforming the City Charter and the move to expand Los Angeles International Airport. He also excoriated Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, a long-standing critic who raised questions Tuesday about the city’s tax and charter reform measures.

On the issue of tax reform, Riordan accused Goldberg and other, unidentified council members of showing a “lack of leadership” but said he remains confident that a majority of the council will support granting tax relief to city businesses.

Responding to questions the councilwoman raised about companies that donated to charter reform and that, she alleged, stood to profit by the mayor’s tax reform proposal, Riordan snapped back that she was “feeding false information to the media.”

He also challenged her on a Hollywood development that resulted in what he called the murder of five pine trees. When a caller complained about those trees being cut down, Riordan said: “That’s a complaint that you should give to Jackie Goldberg.”

After the show, Riordan was even more vocal in his denunciation of the councilwoman.

“Jackie Goldberg has no respect for the truth,” he said. “As a leader, she should be very ashamed of herself.”

On Tuesday, Goldberg released a list of companies that had contributed significant sums to charter reform and alleged that those same firms stood to receive substantial tax breaks under the mayor’s tax reform plan. To arrive at that conclusion, Goldberg researched the average tax break for the industries in which those companies work.

However, within each industry there are wide fluctuations in individual tax rates. Of the four firms Goldberg listed Tuesday as standing to profit by tax reform, three of the four would either see their taxes increase or have no change, Riordan aides said. The fourth was harder to determine because it recently moved to the city, those aides added.

Faced with Riordan’s denunciation, Goldberg stayed firm.

“I don’t think name-calling helps anything. I’m sorry that’s how he’s chosen to deal with this,” she said. “I have never put out information that I knew was false.”

While the squabble between the mayor and councilwoman surfaced time and again during the radio show, it was just one of a host of topics that Riordan fielded.

Callers complained about the quality of their schools; Riordan responded with a ringing attack on the local school system, which he often blames for favoring the interests of administrators over those of children.

One man wanted the city to push for construction of a monorail; Riordan deflected that by saying subways had proved a disaster for Los Angeles and that while small stretches of monorail may someday be built, he favors more flexible bus systems. Another man warned about population growth and its effect on traffic; Riordan praised the question and pledged to work on it.

The mayor unequivocally predicted that Los Angeles would land the 2000 Democratic National Convention, slyly noting that he had received a call from a “high, elected official in the White House” assuring him that Los Angeles was the only city under consideration for the moment.

Twice, Riordan recognized callers. One was Howard Watts, a gadfly who relishes tweaking the mayor and who on Wednesday accused him of trying to take over the school board, a charge Riordan laughingly brushed off.

The second was Los Angeles Police Commander David Kalish, who lavished praise on Riordan for his devotion to police issues. Riordan returned the compliment, calling Kalish one of the department’s most promising command officers.

Then the mayor asked Kalish to hang up and go out and catch some criminals.

Times staff writer Beth Shuster contributed to this story.